Development and construction of robot-based automation solutions for handling, post-processing and inspection
Boll Automation GmbH
Kleinwallstadt (headquarters) · Obernburg (founding location)New on Amplifa
About Boll Automation
Boll Automation GmbH, based in Kleinwallstadt (Bavaria, near Frankfurt am Main), develops and manufactures robot-based automation solutions for industrial production. Founded in 1988 as a design office in Obernburg, the company is part of Autision Group GmbH and combines robotics, machine vision and optical metrology from a single source. The product range includes cells for casting fettling, deburring, grinding and polishing (RoboMill, RoboMill+, Gussputzzelle, Robicut), the BinSpect® bin-picking system, the Robiscan® inline inspection system for weld seams and surfaces, systems for flatness testing and inline 3D measurement, as well as solutions for handling, mobile robotics and leak testing (ALD). Systems for machining, handling and inspection are also realized from lot size 1 and with Teaching by Demonstration without programming knowledge. Customers include companies from the automotive, foundry, forging, toolmaking, plastics, chemical and furniture industries as well as aerospace and medical technology. The solutions are installed worldwide; the company building at the main Kleinwallstadt site was constructed in 2000.
- Site
- Kleinwallstadt
- Processes
- Deburring (robot-based), Casting fettling (robot-based), Grinding (robot-based), Polishing (robot-based, incl. injection moulds), Surface machining of large components (RoboMill+), Palletizing and depalletizing, Loading and unloading of machines (machine tools, machining centres, inspection machines), Bin picking (reach into the box, Binspect®)
- Materials
- Castings (cast parts, sand cores, engine blocks, forklift forks), Titanium, Light metal (wheels/rims), Castings, Light metal (aluminium), Steel, Plastics
- Founded
- 1988
- Industries
- Automotive, Foundries, Forging shops, Tool and mould making, Plastics industry, Metal industry
- 01
Design and engineering
- 02
Software and hardware development
- 03
Manufacturing and integration of the robot systems
- 04
Commissioning at the customer
- 05
Service and training (Teaching by Demonstration)
Materials and Processes
Castings
Robot-based casting fettling of castings, sand cores, engine blocks and forklift forks.
Titanium
Automation of a tube bending cell for titanium tubes in aerospace.
Light metal (aluminium)
Handling and machining of light metal wheels and rims.
Steel
Handling and inspection of steel wheels, steel sheet parts and brake pad carriers.
Plastics
Robot-based polishing of injection moulds and plastic components.
Sites
Kleinwallstadt
DEHeadquarters with company building (built 2000)
- RoboMill polishing robot
- RoboMill+
- Gussputzzelle
- BinSpect
- Robiscan
- ALD series cell
- Robicut deburring cell
Obernburg
DEFounding location (original Boll design office)
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deburring (robot-based)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Casting fettling (robot-based)Surface | – | – | – | – | Guss |
| Grinding (robot-based)Surface | – | – | – | 1 | – |
| Polishing (robot-based, incl. injection moulds)Surface | – | – | – | 1 | – |
| Surface machining of large components (RoboMill+)Surface | – | – | – | 1 | – |
| Palletizing and depalletizingHandling | – | – | – | – | – |
| Loading and unloading of machines (machine tools, machining centres, inspection machines)Handling | – | – | – | – | – |
| Bin picking (reach into the box, Binspect®)Handling | – | – | – | – | – |
| Surface inspection (inline, metallic and painted surfaces)Inspection | – | – | – | – | Metall |
| Weld seam inspection (inline inspection)Inspection | – | – | – | – | – |
| Flatness testing based on laser light sectionInspection | – | – | – | – | – |
| Inline 3D measurementInspection | – | – | – | – | – |
| Metrology (robot-based)Inspection | – | – | – | – | – |
| Leak testing / gas leak detection (ALD series cell)Inspection | – | – | – | – | – |
| Crack and 3D surface inspection (automatically combined)Inspection | – | – | – | – | – |
| Automatic assembly (e.g. pressure switches)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Automation of machining machines / Fanuc Robodrill machining centreHandling | – | – | – | – | – |
9 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polishing robot (collaborative, mobile assembly) | Boll Automation RoboMill | – | – | – | Kleinwallstadt |
| Robot system for surface machining of large components | Boll Automation RoboMill+ | – | – | – | – |
| Casting fettling cell (robot + sensorics + tool technology) | Boll Automation Gussputzzelle | – | – | – | – |
| Bin-picking system (object recognition, automatic path planning) | Boll Automation BinSpect | – | – | – | – |
| Inline inspection system for weld seams and surfaces | Boll Automation Robiscan | – | – | – | – |
| Flatness testing system (laser light section) | Boll Automation | – | – | – | – |
| Mobile collaborative inspection system | Boll Automation RoboNDT | – | – | – | – |
| ALD series cell (Automatic Leak Detection) | Boll Automation | – | – | 2024 | – |
| Deburring robot cell (Robicut cell concept) | Boll Automation Robicut | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 1988
Founding of the Boll design office in Obernburg
- 1992
First robot cell for an automotive supplier (palletizing of truck steel wheels); integration of KUKA robots
- 1995
Pilot large-scale system in the chemical industry; projects in France and Austria
- 1997
Pilot system in the furniture industry
- 2000
Construction of the company building in Kleinwallstadt
- 2001
Addition of ABB robots to the product portfolio
- 2009
Renaming to Boll Automation GmbH; focus on robot-based handling, inspection and rework
- 2012
First robot-based 3D inspection cell and bin-picking application
- 2014
First industrially viable Binspect® system
- 2015
R&D on collaborative automation solutions
- 2017
First HRC project; high-speed inspection system for brake pad carriers; first RoboMill project
- 2019
Automation of a tube bending cell for titanium tubes (aerospace)
- 2021
Awarded KUKA Premium Partner status
- 2022
Major project for robot-based weld seam inspection; first metal recycling automation
- 2023
First automation of a Fanuc Robodrill machining centre
- 2024
Market launch of the ALD series cell (Automatic Leak Detection)